The Twirling Dragon

New Approach to Paint Intimidation

2009-11-16T10:23:00.000-08:00

Obviously, I haven't been "whapping" my canvases enough.

[Thanks, Lynetta]

SAD

2009-11-12T09:39:00.001-08:00

SAD's...Sketch A Day. Two are for an illustration I'm trying to do for Name of the Wind. Girl just came out of my head. One of my goals after IMC was to fill every page of my sketchbook with both sketches and art-related notes before returning the next year. Have many pages yet to fill.

Cat Sketches

2009-11-09T16:52:00.001-08:00

I have my first children's book commission. The author is a wonderful 72 year old lifetime educator. She's self-publishing which is an avenue many authors are taking these days. The title is A Grand Cat and it's based on the true story of Fred the cat. Right now I'm developing the storyboard and book dummy. I'm also playing around with the style and look of the illustrations. The author has given me a free rein in both. Right now, I'm simply studying cats and their expressions and anatomy. After I feel confident with that I will put the photo references away and develop a cat based on memory and characterization. That's the plan.

Emmett and Faery Children Sketches

2009-10-24T15:35:00.000-07:00

Finished up this sketch I did of non-movie version of Emmett Cullen in graphite on vellum.

Just some sketchbook doodles scanned in and then toned and highlighted in Photoshop. Playing around with slightly exaggerated anatomy of children to adapt into faeries.

The Holidays Cometh

2009-10-16T22:38:00.000-07:00

Countdown to Halloween. Beware The Flash and other super heroes.

Note to stores: How about giving Halloween and Thanksgiving their dues BEFORE blasting us with Christmas?

Back Home

2009-10-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

We've been in Michigan for over a week visiting our daughter and family. The weather didn't exactly cooperate with our plans to see the sites but when there was a break in the rain, we bundled up and went outside and took in the fall leaves. My photos fail to capture nature's vibrant colors. It didn't help that the sun was rarely shining but this park near the Grand river was magical. We saw deer and chipmunks and heard alot of bird calls. My daughter says there are usually wild turkeys lurking in the forest. (O and I did have to run to escape from a big, bad troll who looked alot like Grandpa when we crossed over the bridge). It's good to be back but why is it, wherever you live, you are missing someone?

Website Finally Updated

2009-10-05T00:18:00.000-07:00

I don't know why updating my website is such a time-consuming process. Perhaps it's having too many options. All that decision making. This was one of my IMC goals made back in June. My hope now is to finish several personal pieces that are so close to completion before Christmas and update my website each month.

I heard a quote on the radio the other day: "There is nothing more restrictive than unmet potential". I feel a sense of freedom when I accomplish one of my artistic goals, especially when it's something I've struggled with. Whew! One down....100 more to go.

One More Try

2009-10-01T00:22:00.001-07:00

I'm sure this image is getting a tad tiresome, but I wanted to try one more technique I learned this summer. It's from Greg Swearingen. He and his wife, Hala Wittwer spent some time teaching me their methods before they headed to Cal State Fullerton, where Hala has been hired as an instructor after completing her MFA. Basically, both shorten their process by painting on top of a colored print of the image. The print isn't too detailed. Just the basic colors. After wet stretching the paper and stapling it down on a board, Greg then uses thin washes of acrylic in combination with colored pencils to create his highly detailed pieces. He slowly builds up the form this way. Often he reserves the colored pencil for just the highlights. He uses the Epson Velvet Fine Art Paper. I've had better luck with the lighter weight Lanaquarelle. This method really cuts down on the colored pencil layers. A big time saver.

Experiment Concluded

2009-09-29T10:18:00.001-07:00

Well, the more I looked at those hard edges, the more I didn't like them. I also discovered that the three layers of fixative prevented my colored pencils from fully grabbing the vellum. SO, I decided to stop and repeat the last two steps. This time I printed a sepia toned copy of my original scanned sketch on to the vellum. Very pleased with the results. Also, after looking at some firefly reference photos, I realized that they give off a yellowish-green glow; not an orange-yellow one. Duh! I've never seen one in person. Also, I didn't fix the printed side since my printer uses water-resistant archival inks. Made all the difference. The vellum received the colored pencils beautifully. After playing around with some colors, I realized that my original concept was way too day-lightish. I went with a much more moonlit look and prefer it, although it's not as vibrant.

So, with this experiment concluded....would I use it again? Not sure. While I do love the luminosity, that's achievable with other mediums. The one thing Sergio doesn't reveal in his article is what he uses on the final to back it. I imagine any solid white paper would work. The vellum alone is way too fragile. Of course, under Sergio's masterful hands, this technique produces distinctively glowing illustrations. I can't possibly expect to achieve the same results without his skills and experience.

I am most grateful to artists who are willing to share their process. People like James Gurney, Dan Dos Santos, Donato Giancola, and many others who open the door to their studios and their techniques probably underestimate their value to artist-wanna-be's like myself. It is so helpful. I think with one exception, every artist I've emailed has replied and generously imparted information to me. There are other lesser known artists I follow who post their works in progress and I always gain new knowledge watching them work. My hope is that this meager experiment has been helpful to someone out there. I know I've learned alot. Thanks Sergio!

Blending Colors

2009-09-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

Okay...this was tricky. You have to use just the right amount of Turpenoid on your paper towel or you completely wipe off your pigment. Sergio says to use 5 drops. Lacking an eyedropper, I had to experiment and ended up using my fingers to blend more than the cloth. Another thing. I got interrupted and had to come back to lift out the color on the lightest areas and discovered the pigment had "set" into the paper. I'm hoping I can lighten things up on the other side using the colored pencils he recommends. I am pleased with the vibrancy of the pigments, though, be warned, they do dull after they dry. Now...to carefully remove the tape and turn it to the right side. Fingers crossed.

The above image is the picture, right-side up. Not sure what I think of the hard charcoal edges. I think I should have used the lighter ochre pencil through out. Um. Yeah...those lines are way too harsh. Well, this is an experiment, right?? Let's see now....next, we use colored pencils on this side to emphasize the highlights and darken the shadows. Until tomorrow...

Color Crazy

2009-09-24T23:27:00.001-07:00

I didn't scan the charcoal line drawing because it looks just like my original pencil sketch. I fixed the charcoal with 2 coats of WN Workable Spray Fixative. Then I taped the edges on both sides and taped the drawing, backside facing up on several pieces of blank paper (to soften the surface) and then went crazy with the color. I'm using Caran d'ache Neocolor I crayons.

They are a bit pricey, but almost solid pigment. Sergio says to make big, bold strokes, paying particular attention to the "atmosphere" of the picture. After seeing this scanned, I think I will go back in with more darks around the outside of the drawing. Next I will take Turpenoid and start melting, blending and lifting out color. Until tomorrow.

Next Step: Charcoal

2009-09-24T16:03:00.000-07:00

After resketching the picture on heavy vellum (I used a Wolff's Carbon B charcoal pencil), Martinez says to go over the drawing very lightly, with a kneaded eraser. Quote: "I'm not really erasing; I'm caressing the lines. I am making the hard edge of the lines disappear". He then tuns the vellum over and does the drawing on the back, reinforcing the overall shadows and then repeating the eraser bit. I'm not sure I did this part right. I tried my best to caress the paper. This is where Sergio sends in the scan for approval.

Oops! After rereading the article, I realized I added an extra step by mistake. This step should replace the value step I did on the computer. ( I got the captions and the instructions mixed up. Senior moment. Happens alot.)

After approval, your own or the AD's, you then resize it to your final specifications, and print it out. It's from this copied version of the drawing that you NOW resketch your final drawing using the heavy vellum, as well as the carbon charcoal, thereby eliminating the charcoal mess I've now created on my drawing, not to mention the keyboard. You will have is a clean, line drawing of your piece, ready to be fixed and then the "painting" begins. Experimentation continues....

Painting on Vellum ala Sergio Martinez

2009-09-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

I've been a fan of Sergio's every since I discovered his illustrations for Max Lucado's "You Are Special". His composition and line work are wonderful and strong. He creates his luminous colors by drawing on both sides of vellum. I'vebeen a fan of drawing on vellum for years now so I was very interested in his technique. In one of his blog posts he mentioned that his whole process was explained in an out-of-print edition of Step by Step Graphics. Fortunately, someone on ConceptArt who owned that edition scanned and posted the whole article. UNfortunately, the link is now down. So glad I saved it! This is my experimental sketch & value study. Next I will cover the sketch with a sheet of heavy, 90gm vellum and redraw with a carbon charcoal pencil. Hopefully, I will be ready to post the next step tomorrow.

Need To Move On

2009-09-08T10:54:00.001-07:00

Well, I learned a lot doing this and I can mess with it until the cows come home (does anyone know where they've been??), but it's time to move on to other things. The plan was to print this out half-way and finish it with acrylic washes and colored pencils. Well, that would have worked except my new, Epson R1900 printer isn't working properly and I'm so tired of wasting paper and ink and minutes on the phone to the support (haha) center that I've been forced to finish it in Photoshop.

So, here is Lady of the Lake. She looks much too dark here on my blog. She's much more vibrant on my monitor in PS. Hell's bells. I quit. I'm am so ready to put a good ol' 2B pencil in my hand and feel the give and take of the graphite as it catches on a fresh sheet of Stonehenge paper. I'm craving some tactile, organic, finger-smudging sketching. Where's my kneaded eraser?

Desperation and Virtual Paint

2009-08-28T16:43:00.000-07:00

I know...TWO post in one day. Don't faint. My Lady of the Lake IMC assignment is due on the first of September. About two weeks ago, I realized I wasn't going to make it since I've had a gaming job that had to be put on the top of my to do list. I have been buying FX Imagine magazine on and off, when a particular artist I like is featured. This magazine is published in the UK and comes with an instructional CD and lots and lots of instruction for the digital artist, plus a section for traditional artists as well. It's a pricey $15 at B&N but worth it. I've been trying some of the demos they have and slowly learning some things in PhotoShop, even though I don't have the super-duper CS3 version.

So when I realized traditional oil wasn't going to cut it for this painting in time, I decided to scan the ol' watery gal in and let loose with the Wacom tablet and my anemic knowledge of digital paint. I discovered that this takes time to build up layers and learn the different brushes, etc. I've basically been applying layers as I would with colored pencils, using either the Overlay and Softlight modes over my original sketch (which was fairly finished). I have most of the colors down in this post and now I have to go in and refine and clean up edges. Not sure I'll make it but it's been a real learning experience. I know anyone who knows their way around digital application will probably scoff at this attempt, but you got to start somewhere, right?

Jeff Hein Portrait Workshop Conclusion

2009-08-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

After lunch on the second day, I came back and tried to apply this technique to the panel. The angle I had from where my easel stood was an almost profile. The beard gave me fits too. Because it dries faster, we used burnt umber instead of asphaltum.

On the third and last day, Jeff's demo consisted of finishing the direct portrait he started on the first day, plus painting on the second method until the lunch break at 1:00.

Jeff uses a fairly limited palette: Flake White hue or replacement, Ivory Black, Transparent Yellow Oxide, Transparent Red Oxide, Burnt Umber or asphaltum, Cerulean, Ultramarine Blue, Lemon Yellow, Transparent Orange, Cad Red Light, and Windsor Red Deep and sometimes, Alizarin Crimson. But basically, he says any three primaries will work. For flesh he started off with a mixture of Cerulean blue, Windsor Red and Yellow Oxide. and white. He says "the face is the palette, not the paint", which really makes sense. And of course, don't forget the ....

..."Magic Squint". Basically, this is how I see without my glasses on and I tried drawing without them on purpose to simplify the shapes and values. Also: Paint across the form not into it.

I didn't get very far on my piece once we got back. Curse you paint!! I figure I have miles of canvas to go before it becomes my friend and a tool in my hand like the pencil. Overall, what was most impressive to me, is Jeff's work ethic. He is so disciplined and his artistic approach is a combination of passion, drive and expression. He never paints for the market. Although he loves looking at other current artists' work, he cautioned us to limit that exposure otherwise you risk "losing yourself". I have to think on that more. Other than feeling a bit discouraged at my inept attempt at painting, I came away from the workshop with oodles of notes and more knowledge to help me in my journey. All in all, very worthwhile.

Second Attempt on Bast, Prince of Twilight

2009-08-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

I posted this last week, but something wasn't right about him so I tried again to fix the problems. Hope this is better. As I said before, Bast is this rather mysterious character from Patrick Rothfuss's book, Name of the Wind. He is the apprentice to Kvothe, who is the main character of the story. We know he's Fae and can be fiercely loyal to his master. He's 150 years old and his appearance is altered for human eyes through a glamour spell. I think. We still don't know much about him. His full title is Bastas, son of Remmen, Prince of Twilight and the Telwyth Mael.

Workshop: Day Two

2009-08-19T20:44:00.000-07:00

On the second day of the workshop, Jeff decided to teach us a second approach to portrait painting. He realized we were all struggling with the placement of the shapes and masses without some form of under painting or drawing. He had panels all prepared for us. He puts up to 5 layers of 100% acrylic based house paint on his panels and sands them smooth.
Using the color asphaltum, and no medium, he begins drawing with his brush (likes W&N Eclipse and Monarch soft brush for this), laying down values, masses and shapes. It's pretty much the same principle, except you aren't making the decisions about color in this step. He used this step in his technique for a number of years but realized that he could eliminate it after awhile.
Jeff did a lot of talking during this demo. He said he can usually recognize an artist who lacks confidence in painting. They usually produce highly finished works, applying paint with thin layers, afraid to fuel the brushstrokes with paint and to lose edges. Er...HELL-O...that would be me.
Jeff also said that even if you use photographs for your reference, as opposed to painting from life, treat the photo like a model. Don't rely on a grid or (heaven forbid) tracing. Don't turn the photo upside down either. The only aid he used was the mirror to check for flaws. He said if you continue to use these methods, especially the grid, you will forget how to draw. He is very confident in a person's ability to learn to see and draw accurately, but it takes practice and a desire to "do whatever it takes to stretch yourself as an artist". Always be aware of angles. Create imaginary plumb lines on your canvas. He will often imagine a shape within a shape to compare size and accuracy. Of course, the "magic Squint" is vital to this process as well.
Here are the two methods, side by side. Break for lunch and it's our turn. SURE.
To be continued...

Prismacolor Update

2009-08-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

Although the boxes won't be in stores until 2010, I now have a bio up on the Prismacolor website. Pretty exciting. I'm very pleased with the placement of the drawing on the package. Can't wait to actually walk into a store and pick one up.

Workshop: Day One

2009-08-10T21:33:00.000-07:00

This is Dave, our model. He was awesome. Could hold a pose for an hour without moving or needing a break. You rarely had to correct his pose when he returned. He's a poet and hiker. Poor guy had to wear the same shirt for three days straight.

Jeff began the day with a demo. He has a rather simple palette and uses no medium. He began putting down the lightest lights. He says one of the most important things to do is SQUINT, simplifying the masses and shapes and averaging out the value and color. Forget detail at this point. It's all about seeing relationships between abstract shape and value.
Jeff continued to squint and lay down more of the first layer. I'm amazed at his ability to accurately see and measure. He warned us to be wary of simultaneous contrast with both colors and values. He loads his paint and rarely makes more than three strokes before returning to his palette. He challenged us to avoid allowing the brush to touch the canvas, using the paint as a barrier. He used transparent colors in the shadows and opaque in the lights.

Here is 90 minutes worth of work. Lunch time and then....we get to try. Send in the clowns......
You can't imagine how intimidating this technique is for me. No under painting or any type of drawing. Simply applying the paint with a sure stroke while asking these 4 things: What is the 1. value; 2. color; 3.location and 4. temperature. After 3 and 1/2 hours, this was my portrait. Poor Dave. No ears or cranium or hair. On to the next day.....

Jeff Hein Portrait Workshop

2009-08-09T16:55:00.000-07:00

I'd like to introduce Jeff Hein. Above is a self portrait, front and back. I studied with him awhile back at his atelier in SLC and learned much under his tutelage. Last week I was able to attend a three-day portrait workshop at his studio. Jeff's style is very direct....very painterly and his flesh is dead-on. The photos don't do his work justice, but thought I would post a few of his to show his style (although, once again he is evolving).

Below is one of his earlier works that I just love.This sketch shows Jeff's newer approach. His recent works have this wonderful Rembrandt-like quality to them with his impasto and brushwork.Below is a commission portrait in progress. I love the gesture and feeling of this boy. I can't figure if it's the last day of school or the first.

Above is a work called 12 Shades and they are all on separate panels. I was able to see him paint a few of these portraits while at the atelier.

I love this family portrait. This photo was taken at one of Jeff's exhibits at the Springville Museum of Art. It's titled, "Growing Up".

Tomorrow I will post about day one of the workshop.

Winter Faerie Update

2009-07-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Before I left for IMC, I had a mini workshop with Hala Wittwer, my former mentor, before she left for her new teaching position at Cal State Fullerton. She taught me a few new techniques that I finally tried out this month. I started out scanning in my sketch and then applying a PhotoShop under painting (see top picture). I then printed that out on a sheet of Epson Velvet Fine Art paper and finished with light acrylic washes and colored pencil layers. I'm not too sure I like the paper. The first layer is especially difficult because the paint soaks into the paper so quickly, you can't manipulate it. Perhaps I need to wet my paper more. I will have to keep experimenting. I did like the surface after my first layer of paint and pencil but spent too much time smoothing out the edges of the first layer of acrylic wash.
She also told me about the Incredible Art Board and I love it and would highly recommend it. It doesn't warp, tape doesn't tear the surface off like it does with foam core board and its light so you can carry it around. You can also staple your paper on it and use it over and over again.

2009 IMC Sketchbook Design

2009-07-09T20:47:00.000-07:00

Prior to coming to IMC this year, they held a contest for the class sketchbook design. At the beginning of the introductory lecture, the teachers hand out nice hardbound sketchbooks to each of the students. Most of us use it to take pages of notes, to sketch in and at the end of the weeklong course, use as a sort of yearbook/autograph book. I decided to enter and couldn't shake the idea of the old world map term, "Here Be Dragons". This was a phrase used to denote risky or unexplored territory, which pretty much sums up my experience last year with IMC. The course forced me to venture out of familiar territory only to discover whole new aspects about myself and my potential as an artist. It helped me explore the reasons for long held fears and gave me new tools and knowledge to slay those fears. Though they left out the phrase, my design was chosen. Rebecca Guay added the cool font and integrated it into the dragon. To borrow a saying from Scott Fischer, "it was totally rad".
(I sometimes wonder if Scott's channeling Maynard G. Krebs).

Fear and Trepidation with Oils

2009-07-08T21:38:00.000-07:00

I don't know when I acquired such a fear of oils. I know it stems from my inexperience with them. And yet every time I lay them down on a surface, I love the way they look and feel and can be pushed and persuaded. So what's the deal? I walked around, looking at everyone's wonderful work so I wouldn't have to start. I finally realized that what I was experiencing was a type of performance anxiety; not too unlike what happens to me when I sing. I don't want to make mistakes publicly. It was a major breakthrough for me. Once I identified what was preventing me from moving forward, I had a good talk with myself (get over yourself!!) and started repeating the Greg Manchess mantra, "Art is simply about moving the paint on to the canvas", and began.

I used a walnut oil alkyd medium and started working on my darker values in the background. I also put down some warmth in her hair to see if that would work. I must thank Dan Dos Santos, Greg Manchess, Rebecca Guay and Scott Fischer for all their help with this. Each of them took time to teach me, sometimes painting on my piece; sometimes making suggestions. These photos aren't the best but they show the progress on the painting. Next post will show painting into the glaze on the face.

I've Been a Negligent Blogger

2009-07-07T22:39:00.000-07:00

There's no excuse...well, maybe a little one. I was gone to IMC for 10 days. Parents came for a visit a day after I landed. Needed to catch my breath. July Fourth Celebration. A slight Read Fest...well, there's just so many good books this summer, I really could not help it.

So I think I'm ready to get back to my routine and the first thing on my list is: UPDATE BLOG.

Let's get back to IMC and my assignment. I've already posted my workups and my sketch. The next thing I did was scan in the sketch, pushed the color of the graphite to a grayish-green and printed it out on 140# Lanaquarelle watercolor paper, 16" x 20". Because the over-sized printer had water-based inks, I couldn't just spray with a fixative. With the help of Donato Giancola, I brushed a thin layer of acrylic medium on top of the sketch using a dry brush and no water. I let that dry for an hour outside and repeated the process. I applied three more layers with a light sanding in between, allowing the previous layer to dry for about 20 minutes. I now had my sketch nicely coated and proteced from the oils AND, since this time I didn't mount it to a board, when I am done, I can roll it up like you would canvas. I began laying down acrylic washes in the moon, the background and some warmth on her knuckles, face and ears (forgot to take photo of her flesh). Tomorrow's post: I face my fears with OILS!